Cat on a Hot Tin Roof...

Last evening I was comfortably ensconced in my bed, under a pile of blankets reading a good book.  It had been raining all day, and it was particularly cold, so it seemed like a good evening to relax under some blankets. It was so peaceful and calm, the perfect end to a great weekend.  Suddenly, there was a loud noise above my head coming from the roof.  In all the time I've lived in my home I've only heard that same noise once, and that was when my Dad had gone up to my roof to do some repairs.  It was the sound of someone walking around on my roof.

I live in the quiet countryside, and have never felt threatened in my home.  The thought of intruders to my home doesn't even cross my mind.  The sound of someone walking around on my roof though sent fear spiraling through me.  I felt instantly vulnerable, and certainly not in a position to protect myself.  I leaped from bed as I heard the person moving around on the roof, hoping that it was just one of my friends come to play a prank on me. 

My roommate was in the kitchen, and as I passed through with the coat I hastily grabbed, told her of the noise (which she hadn't heard) and how I was about to go outside and investigate.  As cliche as this sounds I even gave her the line, "If I'm not back in a short while get help."  Maybe that wasn't so cliche as it was smart to have a plan :)

Outside I didn't see any vehicles that shouldn't be there, and after walking around the entire house didn't see any persons out of place.  With my home being built so low to the ground with angled roof space I had a fairly good view of most of the roof and didn't see any looming figures walking around.

I came back inside, out of the cold wet rain, and told my roommate of my findings, absolutely NOTHING.  I was describing to her the noise I had heard, when suddenly we both heard it over our heads.  She immediately wanted to check on her cats (I think she had an inkling at this time where the source of the noise might be coming from). 

When she walked outside she was greeted by one of her two cats.  The other cat knowing it's Momma's voice decided to come and peek over the side of the roof where it had been walking around only moments before.  That silly cat had managed to climb up the old utility pole next to my bedroom and jump onto the roof, which in turned scared a couple years off my life.  After some coaxing from my roommate she managed to get him in position where she was able to manhandle him off the roof.

My roommate has reminded me that there is an old fable about being "as light-footed as a cat."  This particular cat though has the footfalls of a grown man.  We're just hoping the disgruntled look he gave my roommate just prior to coming down is proof that he's learned his lesson and won't be making a trip back to my roof.

Just the day before this incident I had been outdoors taking pictures of these two cats.  I'll let you decide which one looks mischievous enough to climb on top of a roof.

 Though I might giving away the secret I will tell you the names of my roommate's two cats.  This first photo is of Lor, short for Ailuro, which means Cat.

This second photo is of Pho, short for Phobia, which means Fear.  So, together the cat's names are AiluroPhobia, Fear of Cats.

When they first came to live with us, I told one of my co-workers their new names (and she's like me - we're not cat people).  My co-worker's response was quick and sure, "I would have called them Home and Less."

I think about my co-worker's response on days when certain cats jump on my roof, or try to sneak into our house when I'm rushing out the door.  Other than those brief moments Lor and Pho and I get along just fine.  They really are beautiful animals for being cats :)